Coin divider



April 25, 1939. F. G. NICOLAUS COIN DIVIDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 3, 1957 v I Maw/"1 .FranGZZkmM jy April 1939- F. G. NICOLAUS 2,155,951

COIN DIVIDER Filed March 5, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 47 A26 Y 506722 07 15% g l 5 jfan flf z bazaus 45\. MGM- Patented Apr. 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE COIN DIVIDER Application March 3, 1937, Serial No. 128,831

3 Claims.

The invention relates to a coin divider for use with coin release means commonly associated with amusement devices and vending machinery.

The coin release means is usually in the form of 5 a coin slide that receives the coin, with the slide manually movable to a position for releasing the amusement device or vender for operation. the coin thereafter being discharged into a suitable cash box or storage magazine, or the like. It is desirable sometimes to make a division of the coins, checks, or the like discharged by the coin slide, in a manner to cause most of the coins to be directed into a main cash box, or storage receptacle, but to direct, say every sixth coin discharged, into an auxiliary cash box or storage receptacle.

For example, let us say the coin released device is an amusement game and the owner of the game places it in a store and in payment to the store keeper for rental of the space occupied by the game, the storekeeper is to get a percentage of the income of the game. In such situation the game cabinet will have two separate storage receptacles, with one receiving most of the coins, while the other may, by way of example, receive every sixth coin. By such means the income of the game is divided between the game owner and the location owner.

In the arrangement herein to be disclosed, five coins go to one cash box and the sixth coin goes to the other cash box. Such arrangement is purely illustrative and may be varied in any desired manner to suit particular needs and requirements.

The main object of the invention is to provide an improved coin divider for the purposes stated.

Another object is to provide such a divider for use with standard coin release slides of the type now commonly used in games and venders.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such a divider which functions automatically upon operation of the coin slide.

Also it is an important object to provide a coin slide operated control means to regulate the operation of the divider.

Another object is to provide an electromagnetically operated divider which functions when the coin slide has been operated a predetermined number of strokes.

Other important objects will become apparent to those skilled in this art as the disclosure is more fully made.

Briefly, these objects may be attained in a game, for example, of the pin ball type having mechanism releasable for play upon operation of a coin slide. Said slide after it has moved a coin into the game cabinet serves to release the game mechanism for play and then discharges the coin onto an escalator or conveyer which moves the coin in a visible position, to prevent use of fradu- 5 lent coins, to a point of discharge, at which point the coins drop into a cash box, or other appropriate receptacle. Every time the slide is operated a full stroke it actuates a push link which in turn operates a pawl to step up, one step, a ratchet wheel carrying a pin. When the wheel has stepped up six times the pin is in position to engage and close a normally open leaf spring switch, thereby closing an electrical circuit to energize a solenoid. The energized solenoid operates a tiltable gate device to cause the next coin moved by the slide to be discharged into an auxiliary coin receiving receptacle rather than onto the escalator. In this manner the coins may be automatically divided, and by varying the number of 20 notches in the ratchet control wheel the time of operation of the electromagnetic device may be varied to alter, as desired, the division of the coins.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of so much of a pin ball type of game as is necessary to illustrate the coin divider of this invention, the top of the game being removed;

Figure 2 is a wiring diagram;

,Figure 3 is a transverse vertical, cross sectional view through the structure taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the indicated direction;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the structure, looking from the line 44 of Figure 1 with the near wall of the game cabinet removed; and,

Figure 5 is a detail, cross sectional view through the switch control, taken along the line 55 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

For the sake of illustration, only so much of a conventional game structure as is necessary has been shown, the same comprising a cabinet having a floor I0, front wall II, and side walls l2. The front wall ll of the cabinet, in the usual manner, carries the front plate l3 of a frame M for the usual horizontally slidable, manually moved, coin slide I5, said slide having a coin mov- 5O ing opening I6 formed therein in the well known manner, whereby a coin laid in the opening may be moved by the slide l5 horizontally over the bottom of the frame M to the rear end thereof inside the cabinet, whereupon the coin will drop off the frame and be discharged therefrom by gravity.

The front wall ll of the cabinet carries an angle bar bracket I1, to the horizontal flange of which is secured, as by welding a horizontal, transversely disposed, channel frame [8 spaced away from the wall II, as best shown in Figures 1 and 4. Opposite ends of said frame 18 carry rollers l9, disposed horizontally and longitudinally for mounting, a horizontally running, transverse conveyer belt 20, which may be termed an escalator. One end of said escalator is disposed in a position below the discharge end of the frame l4 to receive flat-wise, coins falling off the frame, and to convey said coins to the left, as seen in Figure 3, to deliver same into a cash box, or other suitable receptacle shown at 2!, standing on the floor In. As is common in this art, a suitably driven shaft and gear arrangement 22 is provided to drive the escalator, intermittently, or continuously, as desired, and from any suitable moving part, such as the slide I5, or other source of power. This drive means has not been shown as it forms no part of the present invention. This escalator is placed under a transparent plate in the game table top, to make the coins used in releasing the game visible, thereby discouraging the use of fraudulent coins.

Between the wall I l and channel frame IS the bracket I1 carries a transverse down-turned support 22 for supporting a vertically disposed solenoid 23, having a core 24, normally pushed up wardly by a coil spring 25 located inside the solenoid. As shown in Figure 2 this electromagnetic device 23 is disposed in an electrical circuit 26 with any suitable source of energy, such for example, as a battery 21 placed, if desired, anywhere inside the cabinet of the game.

The front and rear sides of the channel frame 18 adjacent the rear end of the coin slide frame [4 carry longitudinally alined standards 28, carrying longitudinally and horizontally alined pivot pins 29 for pivotally hanging a gate member 30 in the form of a pendant, inclined plane. This gate is disposed in a position between the discharge end of the frame 14 and escalator 20 to intercept all coins falling off the frame I4 to deflect same either to the right or to the left, depending upon its inclination.

Said gate 39 at one end has welded thereto a forwardly extending bar 31, the forward end of which is disposed in a position to be engaged and pushed upwardly by the spring pressed core 24 of the solenoid 23. Normally, thus, or when the solenoid is deenergized, the gate 30 is held in the position shown in Figure 3 and consequently coins dropping off the frame 14 are intercepted by the gate and deflected onto the escalator 25 for delivery into the receptacle 2|.

Below the gate 30 and to the right of the escalator as viewed in Figure 3, thechannel I8 is formed with an upright division wall 3|, having a lower deflector end 32 to insure proper deflection of coins discharged from the slide frame I4, into a second cash box 33, when the gate 30 is in its oppositely tilted position. Such position occurs when the solenoid 23 is energized, for then the core 24 is pulled downwardly and the bar 3| acts as a counterweight to cause such opposite tilting of the pivoted gate 30. The sides of the channel frame I8, as shown, extend laterally beyond the wall 3| to the adjacent cabinet wall I2 to prevent the discharging coins from accidentally missing the box 33 into which they are to drop.

The rear end of the coin moving slide carries a pin 34 to which is connected a bar 35, having an elongated slot 35 formed therein. In this fashion the slide i5 can be moved independently for part of its stroke before the end of the slot engages the pin 34 and causes movement of the bar 35. The rear end of the bar 35 moves a crank plate 36 journaled on a vertical pin 31 appropriately mounted on a bracket 38 carried on a wall 12, as shown in Figure 1.

This crank 36 carries a pawl 39 by means of a pivot pin 43, said pawl being urged by a spring M to engage a notched ratchet wheel 42 also turnable about the shaft 31. Further, the bracket 33 carries a shaft 43 for pivotally mounting a dog 44 pressed by a spring 45 to duty in the notches of the wheel 42 to prevent retrograde movement of the wheel 42.

The wheel 42, in this embodiment of the invention, is formed with six peripheral drive notches. Also the wheel on its top face, adjacent its periphery carries an upright pin 46 adapted to engage and close, normally open, spring blades or bars comprising an electrical switch 41 disposed in the circuit 23. These switch bars 41 are suitably carried in an insulated mounting 48 carried on the bracket 38, as shown. The manner of use and mode of operation of the improved divider mechanism will next be described.

In starting, of course, the slide i5 is in its retracted position and the switch 41 is held open by virtue of the springiness of the switch blades. Consequently, the solenoid 23 is deenergized and the core 24 thereof is spring pressed upwardly to hold the gate 38 in the tilted position shown in Figure 3. When a coin placed in the opening I5 is moved into the cabinet by the slide I5 it eventually is brought to the rear end of the frame 14, whereupon the said coin falls oh the frame and onto the deflector gate 30, which deflects the coin onto the escalator 23 for delivery'into the box 21 in an obvious manner. As. the slide l5 was thus pushed inwardly into the cabinet, the lost motion slot 33 eventually was taken up so that the pin 34 pushed the bar 35 rearwardly to operate the crank 36 and swing the pawl 39 to turn the ratchet wheel 42 one step clockwise. This ratchet wheel always is moved clockwise. By the time the slide l5 and ratchet wheel have been operated six times the pin 46 on the wheel has moved around to the position where it is operative to close the switch 41 and cause energization of the solenoid 23. As a consequence, the core 24 is pulled down, causing the gate 35 to tilt by gravity to its opposite position to catch the dropping coin and deflect it into the other cash box 33. On the next operation of the slide Hi the pin 46 is moved away from the switch causing same to open to deenergize the solenoid 23, whereupon the spring pressed core 24 tilts the gate to deflect the next coins once more onto the escalator.

It can now be seen that five successive coins discharged will be deflected by the gate 35 onto the escalator for delivery into the box 2i, whereas, the sixth coin will be deflected by the gate into the other cash box 33. In this manner the coins handled are automatically segregated as desired. By substituting a ratchet wheel 42 having more or less than six notches various divisions of the coins can obviously be accomplished.

It is the intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the structure herein selected for the purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a horizontal frame carrying a horizontally movable slide to move and discharge coins flatwise in a substantially horizontal plane over and off the frame through an opening formed in the latter, a pivotally mounted deflector member inclined slightly from the horizontal and positioned immediately below the discharge end of the frame below the opening therein to receive flat-wise all coins discharged from the frame, means positively holding the member in one tilted position to deflect coins in one direction, means to release the holding means, and weight means serving to unbalance the member for movement to another position when released to deflect coins in an opposite direction.

2. In a coin divider for a coin slide embodying a frame carried in a support, a substantially horizontal slide carried in the frame to move a coin flatwise in a substantially horizontal plane and discharge it through an opening in the frame, a substantially horizontal coin escalator means having an end positioned below the discharge end of the slide, the combination with said slide of a pivotally mounted inclined plane member inclined slightly from the horizontal and carried between the discharge end of the slide and proximate end of the escalator means below the opening in the frame, said member receiving all coins flatwise that are discharged from the slide, means to hold the member normally inclined in a manner tocause coins received thereby to move by gravity flatwise onto the escalator means, and means controlled by the movement of the slide to move the member to another position to cause coins to be deflected in another direction clear of the escalator means.

3. In a coin divider for a coin slide embodying a frame carried in a support, a substantially horizontal slide carried in the frame to move a coin fiatwise in a substantially horizontal plane and discharge it through and opening in the frame, a substantially horizontal coin escalator means having an end positioned below the discharge end of the slide, the combination with said slide of a pivotally mounted inclined plane member inclined slightly from the horizontal and carried between the discharge end of the slide and proximate end of the escalator means below the opening in the frame, said member receiving all coins fiatwise that are discharged from the slide, means releasably to hold the member normally inclined in a manner to cause coins received thereby to move by gravity flatwise onto the escalator means, and electromagnetic means governed by the movement of the slide to release the member and cause its movement to another tilted position whereby coins received thereby will be deflected in another direction away from the escalator means.

FRANK G. NICOLAUS. 

